A Month in the Country
Brian Friel’s version of
A Month in the Country
By Ivan Turgenev
The setting is the Islayev country estate. Natalya Petrovna, a headstrong woman, is married to Arkady Islayev, a rich landowner but is bored with life and she welcomes the attentions of Michel Rakitin.
But the arrival of the handsome student Aleksey Belyayev, as tutor to her son Kolya, soon ends her boredom. Natalya falls in love with Aleksey, but so does her ward Vera.
Friel’s adaptation of A Month in the Country is a study of the cruel inequality of love, mingling tragedy and comedy, laughter and tears.
Cast & Creatives
Director – Ethan McSweeny
Set Design – Francis O’Connor
Costume Design – Peter O’Brien
Lighting Design – Sinead McKenna
Sound Design – Denis Clohessy
Cast (in alphabetical order)
Anna Semyonovna Islayev – Barbara Brennan
Lizaveta Bogdanovna – Ingrid Craigie
Arkady Sergeyevich Islayev – Nick Dunning
Herr Schaaf – Peter Gaynor
Matvey – Dermot Magennis
Afanasy Ivanovich Bolshintsov – Pat McGrath
Natalya Petrovna – Aislin McGuckin
Katya – Clare Monnelly
Michel Aleksandrovich Rakitin – Simon O’Gorman
Vera Alexsandrovna – Caoimhe O’Malley
Ignaty Ilyich Shpigelsky – Mark O’Regan
Aleksey Nikolayevich Belyayev – Dominic Thorburn
Reviews
“Brilliant” Irish Independent
“Wonderful” Irish Independent
“Francis O’Connor’s set is a triumph” Irish Independent
“Costumes by Peter O’Brien are supremely elegant” Irish Independent
“Perfect Gate material” Irish Independent
“Mesmerising adaptation” Irish Mirror
“Spell-binding” Irish Mirror
“Superb theatre” Irish Mirror
“Stellar cast plays a blinder” Irish Mirror
“Unmissable” Irish Mirror
“Strong character performances” RTE Arena
“Beautiful costumes” The Sunday Times
“Enchanting set” The Sunday Times
“A cracker” Sunday Independent
“Entertaining” Sunday Independent
“Sleekly elegant” Sunday Independent
★★★★The Irish Mail on Sunday
“Memorable production” The Irish Mail on Sunday